MAX GRAEF 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Esteemed deep house producers Glen Astro and Max Graef have much in common musically, not least a shared love of crusty chords, fuzzy textures and dusty, soul-flecked samples. It's good to see the pair joining forces, not only in the studio, but also to launch the Money Sex label. This first collaborative EP (for both artists and label) is packed full of warm-but-distorted, immersive deep house, with a few curveballs thrown in for good measure. That's certainly how we'd describe the eccentric "Caribbean Screwdriver" (all loose, densely layered percussion, distant vocal samples and tactile electric pianos) and "Echoed Gehema", a tipsy chunk of enveloping deep house built around a shuffling but locked-in MPC style groove.

Review: Over the course of his career, Max Graef has proved to be rather adaptable, variously turning his hand to dusty deep house, revivalist jazz-funk, drowsy hip-hop beats and nu-jazz. On this EP he touches on many of those styles, but it's the angular, techno-influenced analogue electronics, Motor City chords and shuffling beats of opener "Thrillhouse & Bonus Beat" that really sets the pulse racing. Graef's obsession with raw, lo-fi sounds is further explored on "2 Cool 4 U", which sounds like a cross between tropical house, early UK bleep and wayward techno, while closer "Bunds" sees him wrap deep space electronics around a sparse, pitched-up, high-register drum machine beat. As for the rest of the EP, it's deep, dusty, jazzy and really rather good.

Review: MPC-wielding deep house maverick Max Graef is the latest hot producer to pitch up on Steven Julien's on-point Apron Records. He wisely uses it as an excuse to go a little crazy, opening the E.P with the off-kilter analogue hip-hop/distrorted electro/broken beat fusion of the decidedly trippy "Purpurner Numwurz". Graef doffs a cap to the dusty, lo-fi house and techno of labels such as L.I.E.S and Lobster Theremin on the dirt-encrusted deepness of "Winkelrose", before unfurling his boogie and jazz-funk influences on the rubbery sample jam "Cheap Fusion Intro". Finally, his much-explored jazz influences return on the bluesy deep house brilliance of closer "BE", which sounds like something you'd hear on Rhythm Section International.

Review: Having always been a dab hand with jazzy samples and rugged beat arrangements, Max Graef returns to The Gym for his first full release on the label and it's a head-turning offering from the outset. "Bummse" looks set to explode all over the place with its rough-jerking rag tag rhythm and choice piano drops, nailing the concept of jazzy house perfectly. "No 5" sports equally snappy hooks and moves, demanding attention simply through how craftily Graef has put together familiar elements to make utterly fresh sounding house music. Glen Astro "Rebumms" the title track and makes the proceedings even wobblier, letting a wriggling worm of synth into the mix and spacing out the original 4sounds to make a different kind of shocker.

Review: Tipped as one of this year's breakout stars in deep house circles, German producer Max Graef may belong in that small percentile whose talent more than justifies the obligatory, never ending, wildly oscillating circles of hype. Last month's platter for Melbourne Deepcast kept the Juno office 1210 well serviced and this new release on Detroit Swindle's Heist label offers further proof of Graef's knack for heavily percussive house music distinguished by certain production idiosyncrasies. Lead track "Jungle" features Andy Hart and stands out because there's just so much detail and attention without ever sounding overly busy - the mark of a real talent. Raw Cuts era MCDE is an easy comparison with B Side opener "Ignorance Is Bliss" but where most would lazily slap down a hastily cut up soul hook, Graef opts for an outer galactic vibe that threatens to explode with vivid colour. "Ztize" also rolls on a similar tip to Graef's celebrated compatriot but with Plessow currently on a production hiatus this newcomer offers fans of current soul and jazz indebted house music a compelling alternative.

Review: A Berlin/Melbourne soundclash of delightfully juicy proportions, Graef and Hart have concocted three ace compositions right here. Filtered to the max with big jack swings, each one of these will find favour on late night floors. "Biting" is the slinkiest, sleaziest of the three. Complemented by the quintessential deep house wailing vocal and a raising chord structure on the fill, it's an instant elevator. "Heavy Setters" comes complete with an array of disco bubbles and an added thump on the rhythm while "Pass The Mortek" rides atop of a slinky percussive arrangement. Great for nu-disco and deep house heads alike.

Review: Dresden's Uncanny Valley returns with more feelgood deep house vibes courtesy of the usual suspects. Berlin's Max Graef steps up first with "Tittenkuschler" and his typically dusty, hip hop influenced style of production. Next up the man Cuthead returns in typical form with the uplifting and summery vibes "Braziliance' and the smooth, blunted hip-hop of "Of Of'. Next up Theuz Hamtag and Magergarten gives us some sweet discofied jams in the vein of Classic Andres with "S3A and "Moony Me" respectively. Quality as always from this now highly regarded label.

Review: OYE crew and Berlin purveyors of dusty, hip-hop inspired deep house make their major label debut for Ninja Tune and good on them. It really is their time at present, what with their Money $ex and Box Aus Holz imprints going from strength to strength. "Magic Johnson" inspires the greatness of the song's namesake. All dusty jazz breaks, dreamy rhodes and xylophones and whirring organs are the perfect soundtrack for a Sunday stroll through Prenzlauer Berg after a night of clubbing on no sleep, finishing off in Mauerpark for falafel and record digging. Want something moodier and sleeker? The pair are on hand with the dubbed up "Tape Johnson" take on the B Side.

Review: Operating out of the OYE record shop in Berlin, the Box Aus Holz crew are hitting their eighth release with an amassing amount of interest behind them. Earlier editions are shifting for decent amounts second hand, so move quick if you want a slice of the action. Beyond the hype the music stands tall, with the collective of relatively unknown producers displaying a bright spark of creativity across soul-derived house and beats. There is certainly plenty of illustrious sampling going on, from the wistful chops of Max Graef's "KSF", while The Ivory Boy throws it down with some weighty funk of the most addictive kind. With not a duff beat in sight, this really is an essential purchase.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record has very light surface marks/smudges, but otherwise in perfect working condition***


Austrian label Pusic present their second release, featuring four finely crafted boogie house cuts that stand out amongst the current ocean of 90s influenced cuts. Andy Hart & Max Graef kick off with "Gefleckte Gauklerblume", a mid-tempo house cut filled with billowing chords and tough, brushed percussion and a generous helping of soul, while Mazzomba's "Untitled 1" pairs metronomic house beats with a gently swelling chord sequence. However, it's "You Make Me Change of Heart" from veteran Dutch producer Awanto3 that stands out, with weighty, sonorous keys that slowly unfold into some elegiac 70s vocals - the remix from Roman Rauch is similarly great, snipping the vocals up and taking it into peak-time territory.

Review: Austrian label Pusic present their second release, featuring four finely crafted boogie house cuts that stand out amongst the current ocean of 90s influenced cuts. Andy Hart & Max Graef kick off with "Gefleckte Gauklerblume", a mid-tempo house cut filled with billowing chords and tough, brushed percussion and a generous helping of soul, while Mazzomba's "Untitled 1" pairs metronomic house beats with a gently swelling chord sequence. However, it's "You Make Me Change of Heart" from veteran Dutch producer Awanto3 that stands out, with weighty, sonorous keys that slowly unfold into some elegiac 70s vocals - the remix from Roman Rauch is similarly great, snipping the vocals up and taking it into peak-time territory.

Review: Apparently Four's A Crowd for FOTO on their second various artists release, though it feels just right to us as label boss OOFT shares record space with Aussie duo Andy Hart & Max Graef, UK newcomer MermaidS and the amusingly monikered Riff Clichard. It's the reliable hand of OOFT that steers proceedings forward, turning in the pitched down 110 BPM boogie roller "Jareth's Revenge" whilst Melbourne Deepcasters Andy Hart & Max Graef crank up the tempo for the crisp disco house warmth of "Dem Young Jabronis". Ease the plate over and Glaswegian MermaidS shows his talent at crafting outright euphoria from nothing as "Run with the Night" shifts through the gears for 5 minutes before exploding. After this the mysterious Riff Clichard demonstrates his chopping skills on the 80s rework "Through With Love".

Review: This deluxe 12" and 10" package is the first in what Detroit Swindle promise will be an annual occurrence - a "family remix EP", where members of the Heist Recordings roster rework label releases from the previous 12 months. It's a neat idea, and one that's undoubtedly resulted in some killer material. The Organ Grinder's surging, heavily percussive rework of Frits Wentik's "Schrewd" is particularly heavy, though it is Max Graef's loose, soulful, groovy and sample-heavy reinterpretation of Detroit Swindle's "The Break Up" is probably the standout. That said, there's plenty to cheer elsewhere, not least Nachtbraker's cowbell-laden, acid house-meets-nu-disco version of Max Graef and Andy Hart's "Jungle".

Review: Berlin's Box Aus Holz imprint continues its steady release schedule with the second installment of the Lost Tracks series, a collection of tunes made over the last five or so years by some of the label's close affiliates. On the A-side, you have the jazzy, brass-led "Don Churro" by Twit Wun, along with Max Graef who is back with the deep, mystical and gritty house waves of Murmel". The flipside contains another three tracks: the broken shards of percussion on "Source Of Certainty" by The Please, Hodini's funky and laid-back "Quin_C", and Luds & Reverend G on the trippy, glitch and minimal bumps of "Cachoyuyu A Lo Loco". Do check this, it's a lil' tip from us to you!

Review: If you've not yet got your ears around Roger 'Chip' Wickham's sensationally sunny, jazz-fired "Shamal Wind" mini-album, we suggest you check it out post-haste. In the meantime, Lovemonk has reminded us of its magnificence via a new set of reworks from some seriously hot producers. Max Graef handles side A, first serving up a chugging, mind altering and heavily percussive "Bongo Mix" of "Soho Strut", before reaching for the sub-bass and fizzing, juke-tempo jazz rhythms on the bonkers but brilliant "Bass Mix" of the very same song. Over on the flipside, Peckham beat-maker Reginald Omas Mamode IV serves up a dusty, Rhodes-laden take on "(Soul) Rebel 23" featuring his own soulful vocals, before Gilles Peterson favourites Ishmael Ensemble mix live jazz instrumentation with rolling house beats on a sublime revision of "Snake Eyes".

Review: Tartelet have called upon a serious spread of heads for this sprawling selection of funk-infused, loose and lively house jams. Glenn Astro & Imyrmind are wonderfully dusty and downplayed on "Bochum", while Uffe brings plentiful amounts of Rhodes and other such joyous keys to a thoroughly funky conclusion. Max Graef has an equally shuffling, hand-played time of it, while Damiano Von Erckert gets a tighter groove out to get his own party started. Whichever track you plump for the sounds come on organic and soulful in the extreme, while the arrangements will have bodies popping all over the joint.